Photo by Ed Diller

1. Ossining (13-0): Pride coach Dan Ricci had four league games removed from his schedule last month and replaced by some marquee matchups. Three of them are coming up in the next week: Newburgh on Friday, Holmdel on Sunday and Northern Highlands on Jan. 31.

2. Irvington (11-1): Don’t expect the Bulldogs to stumble in the next week, or month for that matter. No serious Class B contender has emerged yet this season. Irvington will look for its third straight one-loss regular season and a three-peat as Section 1 champions.

3. Tappan Zee (12-0): The target is firmly on the backs of the Dutchies, who beat Pearl River on the road last Tuesday in their biggest win in several seasons. Not only are they undefeated, they’ve beaten just about every legitimate contender in Class A in Section 1 along the way. Will the pressure get to them? This is a veteran group, so don’t expect it.

4. Pearl River (11-1): The Pirates rebounded from a rough loss at home to Tappan Zee last Tuesday with a strong effort on the road at Albertus Magnus in a comeback win. They’ll play their rivals back-to-back again with Tappan Zee on Feb. 6 and Albertus on Feb. 8

5. Albertus Magnus (8-4): Given the balance and rivalries between the three teams, don’t be shocked if Albertus comes back and sweeps Tappan Zee and Pearl River the next time they play. This is a young group that gets better every day. They don’t enter the final stretch of the season as the best team. But they might be the most dangerous.

6t. Arlington (10-2), Lourdes (11-2), John Jay-East Fishkill (10-2): At this point, you have to live day-to-day with these three Dutchess County powers. Not only have they all beaten each other, they’ve done so convincing. Jay beat Arlington by 17 two weeks ago and then lost by 18 to Lourdes six days later. Lourdes then went out and lost by 10 to Arlington last Friday. The next two weeks will settle this. Arlington vs. John Jay is Friday; John Jay vs. Lourdes on Feb. 3; and Arlington vs. Lourdes on Feb. 7.

9. Hamilton (10-2): Even in defeat, the Red Raiders showed major poise for a Class C team in Friday’s loss to Ossining. Losses like that will serve Hamilton well down the road as they look to win a Section 1 title — and more.

10. Carmel (8-4): The Rams are hot, winning five straight incliuding a tight victory over Ursuline last Sunday. Carmel shouldn’t lose again and head into the Class AA playoffs with a shot at a Top 5 seed.